In order to standardize the recycling of take-out plastics and comprehensively deepen the control of plastic pollution, the Development and Reform Commission of Zhejiang Province recently formulated the "Zhejiang Province" Zero Waste "Work Plan for Take-out Plastics."
Benefit waste plastic recycling enterprises
The "Work Plan" initially determines the operation model, solutions, incentive measures and penalty rules, with the following key contents:
1. By the end of 2023, we will open up take-out consumption and plastic waste recycling and recycling chains in key areas such as universities, and take the lead in forming a "zero-waste" operation model for take-out plastics.
2. Establish a green recycling identification system for take-out plastic packaging to match, record and summarize green recycling behaviors in real time through scanning codes and release. Relevant data and information are connected with the Zhejiang Carbon Inclusive Platform.
3. Find solutions from the source and dig up a list of companies producing takeout plastic alternative products.
4. Increase the standardized recycling of take-out plastic waste, and entrust recycling and disposal companies to unify the transportation, transportation and recycling.
5. Guided by being recyclable, easy to recycle and degradable, we support the research and development and production of green materials for takeout plastic packaging.
6. New construction and expansion projects to support the production of plastic alternative products and the recycling of waste plastics are included in major provincial industrial projects.
7. Incorporate relevant content such as recycling of low-value recyclables and plastic pollution control into policies and regulations related to green and low-carbon transformation in Zhejiang Province, and clarify the rights and obligations of all parties and relevant penalties.
Take-out plastic waste is soaring, Beijing pilot is the first
As of December 2022, the number of takeout users in China has increased to 520 million. There are many merchants on take-out platforms, and there are many different packaging ingredients. It is difficult to accurately calculate the amount of plastic waste produced by take-out across the country. A large amount of take-out plastic waste is mixed into domestic waste for disposal.
Professor Wen Zongguo, director of the Circular Economy Industry Research Center of the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, once pointed out that in 2020, China generated more than 17 billion takeout orders, increasing at an annual rate of about 30% to 40%. By 2023, the amount of takeout plastic waste generated may be between 600 and 1 million tons.
Professor Wen Zongguo pointed out that to effectively control the problem of plastic pollution in take-out waste, the best way at present is recycling and reuse.
At the end of October this year, the Beijing City Development and Reform Commission took the lead in announcing that it would begin to explore the establishment of a full-chain recycling system for lunch boxes of "recycling site-community transfer station-renewable resource sorting center."
Meituan Qingshan plans to work with three recycling companies, namely Beijing Guangli Fuyuan Renewable Resources Recycling Market Co., Ltd., Beijing City Love Self-improvement Material Recycling Center, and Beijing Huajingyuan Environmental Governance Co., Ltd., to select some areas with concentrated takeout food delivery as pilots, set up separate takeout food box recycling buckets at garbage classification points, and carry out large-scale takeout plastic takeout food box recycling.
It is believed that as more and more provinces and cities take the lead in participating, summing up experience based on multiple pilots and continuously expanding the coverage of take-out lunch box recycling, it will help comprehensively promote the recycling and recycling of plastic lunch boxes. Source: New observation on waste plastics